Thanks for the Givings, Uncle Ted

Well another Thanksgiving has come and gone, and all that remains is… well, the remains of the turkey. And what a turkey it was. Becky and Ted did a fine job of roasting the bird, stuffing the stuffing, baking the apple pie, mashing the potatoes, and casseroling the green been casserole. Me, well I went and bought the sparkling cider… and it tasted pretty bad. But I did do a fine job of eating everything, so at least I was worth something.


Paul warmed up to Uncle Ted pretty quick, and the two of them had a good time hanging out at the beach, walking the streets of St. Augustine, and checking out the Christmas craft show (I’m not sure how well Uncle Ted enjoyed that, but Paul’s mom had a wonderful time). Paul never did quite figure out that Uncle Ted wasn’t “Bill,” but technically, that’s close enough I guess.


You’re not going to believe this, but we did make it out to Ripley’s museum. I’d been wanting to go there for some time, but the $15 ticket price was a little steep, so when we had a coupon for $5, that seemed like a good idea. Overall, it was a little disappointing. But they did have this cool room where the walls spun around, and Becky and Paul almost toppled over the edge of the railing from the dizziness.


Of course we went to a few parks, because there’s little else we do around here. Paul and I enjoyed the slide (me a little more than him). But he did love running around and finding the colorful "fssh! fsssh! fsssh!" Which, in Paul talk, meant the painted fish around the park.

This park had a giant cross. Obviously. And it was a beautiful, tourist-filled day in St. Augustine. We ate at Scarlett O'Hara's tavern. I didn't know she ever came to St. Augustine, but apparently she owns a food joint there. I had the fish'n'chips, Ted had the pulled pork, and Paul had... you guessed it, a hot dog.

Oh and what would a trip to Florida be without a walk on the beach. Not exactly the warmest water, but loads of people were out enjoying November in FLA.

Overall it was a great holiday, and we’re glad Ted was able to make it down to cook us food and take Becky shopping. But it’s obvious Paul is going to be a little confused at the Unbehend house this Christmas… because there sure will be a lot of “Bills” around.

The Paul of Christmas Past

I came across this photo and just thought I'd do a little flash back... all the way back to 2007!! Yeah, that was forever ago, at least in Paul years it was. Look at how much this kid has grown in just one year! I would show a picture of me from 2007, but I don't like remembering how much hair I had back then.



Unbelievable that it's his second Christmas already. Hopefully this year will be snowy and white in Montana!

I Hear Sleigh Bells Ringing...

Ah yes, while the water may be too cold to get into these days (at least for us resident Floridians), the upside of the approaching winter is… it’s the most wonderful time of the year! To quote the song that may be playing to your right, “Here we know that Christmas will be, green and bright, the sun will shine by day and all the stars at night…” Yes, it’s the Holiday Season in Northeast Florida!

It is Christmas time again, well maybe not quite yet. But if the stores can put out their ornament covered wreaths, and environmentally friendly aluminum trees, and talking, dancing, kissing, and swearing Elmos, and Hannah Montana Christmas stockings, and fake snow, and tiny little houses to put in the fake snow, and tiny little people to put next to the tiny little houses in the fake snow, and 400,000 feet of multi-colored blinking lights for $1.99, and all that other garbage that they try to sell you… then I can change this blog to reflect the fact that Christmas will be here someday in the near future too.


The stores are filled with angry shoppers, pushing and shoving their way through the racks and stepping on fallen clothes and old people in attempts to get those early deals. The Day of the Turkey is quickly approaching, and soon thereafter, the malls and shopping centers will be complete madness. They really ought to call it Hurricane Christmas. I see the aisles of Winn-Dixie loaded down with bags of sugar and flour, cans of pumpkin mix, cranberries, stuffing, marshmallows, and nasty yams… and I remember how much I don’t miss working at Safeway this time of year.

I imagine up north the first snow fall will hit soon, or maybe it already has, and with it will come all those drivers who forget every year that the roads get slick. Cars will be strewn across the highways, smashed into each other, and upside down in ditches. And if that happens to you… if you’ve been injured in an accident, just remember... you may be entitled to compensation.

Pardon?

I must graciously decline your contemptible offer of triangular cut grilled American cheese on cracked wheat bread. You see, my good fellow, I am used to more elegant dining atmospheres, and I only eat the most sophisticated of cuisines. Now where – pray tell – is my Oscar Meyer premium, free-range, Kobe beef frankfurter?

Bright and Early

The last full week is upon me, and finals are rapidly approaching. I only have three this semester, but I do have two papers due by December 12. I thought I’d take this time (while I’m watching the Browns on Monday Night Football, fully expecting them to blow the lead they’ve had all game in these final minutes) to post a few pictures we took in the park the other day. So here you go:

We decided to get out of bed early for a change, and while it was a little cold at first, it was really a beautiful Sunday morning in the park and well worth getting up for.

Paul has never been a big fan of covers when he sleeps, and while he has actually kept this hat on for a few minutes at a time, he’s in general not fond of warm clothes. If he’s going to spend five weeks in Montana starting in December, I guess he’ll have to get over that.

Thanksgiving is next week already, and Becky is terribly excited about working on Black Friday in the mall. But at least Paul’s Uncle Ted will be here to eat turkey with us. Oh yeah, and that touchdown with two minutes left just put the Browns under… what a shock.

Breaking into Metro

Not a whole lot going on around here at the moment, but I thought I’d post some pictures just for the heck of it. We went down to Metro Park again (pretty much our favorite park around here, because it has the least amount of transients and doesn’t smell as bad as some of the other parks). Unfortunately, the gates were all closed to parking, and we were thinking about throwing Paul over the fence, but we found a back way in. We completely disregarded the notion that maybe we weren’t supposed to be there. I mean, come on, it’s a public park (even if it does have razor wire fencing and armed guards).

As you can see, it was (yet another) beautiful day, but a little too hot for November (in the mid-80s). Really no need for sweatshirts or coats, but Paul probably should wear a shirt, even if he does love puffing his chest out.

That’s all we’ve got for now, but maybe we’ll find something else entertaining to do this weekend. Hopefully, because I’m struggling to find something interesting to write about, due to the fact that most of my days are filled with doing things that would put you to sleep if I wrote about them. So if you’re in need of a nap, just let me tell you about what I learned this week…

Remember, Remember... the 8th of November

The weather was a little cooler today and the leaves have fallen off some of the trees, but winter still isn't quite here. With the time change it's been getting dark a little too soon. Paul had to get up early this morning to get stabbed by a mean nurse with a flu shot (you know how cruel and cold blooded nurses are). It was nice to actually get out of the house early on a day off though, it's funny how you actually get to enjoy more of the day when you get out of bed before 10AM.


We went to one of our normal spots - the River Walk downtown. Paul was sporting a new hat today that his mom got from (where else) the Children's Place. Funny though, it looks like he's supporting the Browns, which is unfortunate, because no matter how much support they get, they always lose. I would try to convince him to be a Jaguars fan, but they're not much better.

It was really a beautiful morning, sitting along the river. Paul loved running up and down the walk and pointing at the boats out on the water. Once he gets a word figured out he can't seem to stop saying it. Boat! Boat! Boat! Plane! Plane! Plane! Burrito! Taco! (Yes, I taught him those).

The semester is winding down, with just two weeks left. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and then we'll be home in Montana! Time flies fast.

Grandpa Bill's Visit

Paul's Grandpa Bill visited this last week, and of course, as quick as he got here, he had to go back home. But he did manage to make it around to some fun places, and as usual, Paul's mother documented the daily events by taking so many pictures that our computer almost shut down for lack of space. Thankfully, we bought a new hard drive a while back to hold the photo-overload. So here is a sling, gaggle, pack, herd, or just a group of photos to check out. Obviously, Paul is the subject of nearly every one. And as for me... well at least I made it into a few!

So we had a good time while he was here, and we hope he (and anyone else willing to visit) comes back soon!